Cee’s fun foto challenge: One item or the number one

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge to show photos featuring featuring one item or the number one. You can click on the photos below for a larger view.

If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

I thought I’d stick to animals for this photo challenge. Here are a few examples of animals standing on their own among nature. Enjoy!

One proud white great egret.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One white great egret
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One white great egret

One red-tailed hawk thinking about his next meal.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One red-tailed hawk
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One red-tailed hawk

One fat squirrel, who could be the red-tailed hawk’s next meal…

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One fat squirrel
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One fat squirrel

One stunning blue Stellar jay bird.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One Stellar jay bird
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One Stellar jay bird

One monarch caterpillar munching on milkweed.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One monarch caterpillar
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One monarch caterpillar

One little crab camouflaged in the sand on the beach.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One crab camouflaged in the sand
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One crab camouflaged in the sand

One red ladybug who’s not so grouchy.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One red ladybug
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One red ladybug

One lonely seagull hoping to snatch a good lunch.

Cee’s fun foto challenge: One lonely seagull
Cee’s fun foto challenge: One lonely seagull

 

Help me pick photos for my main 2014 nature photography calendar

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today, I’m asking your feedback on photos I’d like to include in my 2014 calendar on flowers and blooms. Just tell me which ones you’d really want to see, and which ones I should definitely keep or get rid of. I appreciate your honest feedback.

I assigned a month to each photo. Some months only have one picture assigned to them, others have several. Give me your honest opinion of which photo would be best for each month. If you don’t like the single photo for a month and would rather see another one on this list, please let me know too. For example, if you’d like to see raindrops in February but prefer the ones I chose for March instead of that month, tell me so.

Remember that everyone who comments on one of my 2014 photo calendar related posts will be entered in a drawing to win one of my calendars (you can pick your favorite theme). The only requirement I have for the winner is to be located within the U.S., mostly because the calendar will contain U.S. holidays and it will be more helpful to that person. For every calendar post that you comment on, you will earn one drawing entry (one entry per blog post, not per comment). I’m planning to give away one calendar to a lucky winner, and possibly another one to the person who comes in second, depending on the number of participants.

You can click on any photo below to open the slideshow and view everything in a larger format. Please include your comments into the post comment section directly, not on individual photos, to make it easier for everyone to see your feedback. Thank you!

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Horizon

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “horizon”. You can click on the photos below for a larger view.

If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

Here’s the horizon at Coronado Beach, hidden between the dune grasses.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: horizon at Coronado Beach
WordPress weekly photo challenge: horizon at Coronado Beach

I enjoyed taking this photo of pink grasses as they shoot across the horizon in the foreground.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: horizon with pink grasses in the foreground
WordPress weekly photo challenge: horizon with pink grasses in the foreground

Here’s the horizon on top of the mountains in Idyllwild, California. On that clear day, you could see up to 100 miles away.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: horizon at Idyllwild Park, California
WordPress weekly photo challenge: horizon at Idyllwild Park, California

How about this moon going up the horizon in the daylight?

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: moon at the horizon
WordPress weekly photo challenge: moon at the horizon

I love the beauty of the horizon at sunrise.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: horizon at sunrise
WordPress weekly photo challenge: horizon at sunrise

And at sunset.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: horizon at sunset
WordPress weekly photo challenge: horizon at sunset

New photo challenge: festival of leaves – week 1

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m taking part in a new photo challenge called Festival of Leaves (this is week 1). You can click on each photo for a larger view.

If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

The leaves haven’t started to change colors here in San Diego. After all, it’s only the end of September and many trees will still have leaves on until mid-November.  And that’s not counting the many trees in the region that never lose their leaves.

So here are a few selections from last fall, until I can start photographing the colors of this fall.

We have a lot of Sycamore trees in the area. The leaves just turn brown in the fall before dropping to the ground, nothing fancy. Sometimes the summers are so dry the leaves start drying up even before fall starts. If you can catch that brown in the sunlight, it becomes a lot more interesting to the eye.

Festival of Leaves - Sycamore tree leaf
Festival of Leaves – Sycamore tree leaf
Festival of Leaves - Green and brown Sycamore leaves in the fall
Festival of Leaves – Green and brown Sycamore leaves in the fall

There are a lot of poplar trees by the San Diego river. I love their golden yellow leaves in the fall, especially with the sunlight shining through them.

Festival of Leaves - Yellow poplar leaves in the fall
Festival of Leaves – Yellow poplar leaves in the fall

Fortunately we don’t have to wait for the fall to enjoy beautiful leaves in Southern California. The red leaves of this ornamental plum tree brings a flash of color even before fall starts.

Festival of Leaves - Ornamental plum tree with red leaves
Festival of Leaves – Ornamental plum tree with red leaves

A Word A Week Challenge – Pink

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “pink”.  I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

Pink is one of my favorite color and I’ve been able to photograph it quite a lot these past few days. Here a splash of pink for you!

I love bright pink waterlilies.

A Word A Week Challenge - Pink water lilies
A Word A Week Challenge – Pink water lilies

How about this lovely pink hibiscus flower?

A Word A Week Challenge - Pink hibiscus flower
A Word A Week Challenge – Pink hibiscus flower

This pink / magenta flower blooms on an Island Mallow tree, a California native shrub.

A Word A Week Challenge - Pink island mallow flower
A Word A Week Challenge – Pink island mallow flower

These last flowers are from the Bromeliad exotic pnat. They feature neon pink stems with purple blossoms.

A Word A Week Challenge - Pink and purple bromelia flowers
A Word A Week Challenge – Pink and purple bromelia flowers

Here’s what the plant looks like from closer.

A Word A Week Challenge - Pink and purple bromelia blooms
A Word A Week Challenge – Pink and purple bromelia blooms